Republicans are nervously watching the fight over Karl Rove's involvement in a news leak that exposed a CIA officer's identity, fearing that President Bush's chief adviser has become a major political problem. While the president passed up another chance Wednesday to express confidence in his deputy chief of staff, his political team engineered a series of testimonials from members of Congress who praised Rove and condemned Democratic critics.

"The extreme left is once again attempting to define the modern Democratic Party by rabid partisan attacks, character assassination and endless negativity," said Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., chairman of the GOP congressional committee. The Republican National Committee, virtually a political arm of the White House, urged GOP lawmakers to go public.

Still, several top GOP officials  including some White House advisers  said the fight was becoming a distraction to Bush's agenda. The GOP officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid looking disloyal, said the president may face a credibility problem because his spokesman said in September that anybody involved in the leak would be fired.

These Republicans, all admirers of Rove, said they were surprised and disappointed when Bush stopped short of publicly backing his longtime aide. A survey of Republicans outside Washington revealed similar concerns, though few officials were willing to go on record.

"I think he should resign," said Jim Holt, a GOP state senator from Arkansas who is running for lieutenant governor. He joked, "I hope Karl Rove doesn't come gunning for me."

If Bush forces Rove out the door, I will lose much respect for our President. I don't expect this to happen, but if he gives into the partisan attacks and actually gets rid of Rove, imagine what type of nominees we will get for the Supreme Court. I hope and expect President Bush to stand by his morals, his convictions, and his friends. If he doesn't, watch out! The Supreme Court is next.

Fearing that President Bush's political problems may become their own, Republicans in Congress and elsewhere are beginning to yearn for the good old days of seven months ago, when he had somebody to run against.

The right got winged, liberals lost and Republican Leader Bill Frist had his Senate powers hijacked. The agreement to allow yes-or-no votes on some of President Bush's stalled judicial nominations produced other losers, a few winners â and many in-betweens. Did the president come out ahead? Sen. John McCain? Did the GOP or the Democratic Party gain the upper hand? Has moderation seized the Senate?

Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean, who famously refused to prejudge Osama bin Laden's guilt, is standing by his judgment that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may deserve jail time for allegations of corruption.

These Republicans, all admirers of Rove, said they were surprised and disappointed when Bush stopped short of publicly backing his longtime aide. A survey of Republicans outside Washington revealed similar concerns, though few officials were willing to go on record.

That is a LIE! They didn't give President Bush a chance to "back him".

Especially since Rove did absolutely nothing wrong. The Democrats are dillusional, and they're hoping the majority of the country is too. I'm sure it baffles them...I mean, all this stuff goes over so well with the idiot "base".

AP and the rest of the legacy media think the GOP is in trouble. They still can't find ONE lie Karl Rove told or ONE law he's broken. No wonder they're full of bitterness and rage and they hope Republicans will do their dirty work for them. Its raw partisan politics at its worst.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

31
posted on 07/14/2005 3:03:58 AM PDT
by goldstategop
(In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)

If I was a campaign manager for a Republican, I would get Karl Rove to come stand next to my candidate as soon as possible for a fundraiser photo. When KR comes out smelling like a rose, he will attain political rockstar status, and he and the Prez will remember those that stuck up for him.

32
posted on 07/14/2005 3:10:54 AM PDT
by Dr. Free Market
(Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking.)

According to the MSM if you don't say anything about someone, then you have 'stopped short of publicly backing them', even if you publicly backed them yesterday???!?!!!

I think I'm finally getting libologic!

You put the logical part of your brain into a dazed limbo.

Either that or you get a lobotomy. --->

What you are describing is a LIBOTOMY.

LIBOTOMY is often performed by high school teachers, college professors, and scare-mongers. Certain girly-men manage to perform one on themselves in order to gain favor of single women. I'm not sure if there is a feminine analogue of that procedure.

Unlike a lobotomy, a LIBOTOMY operation IS reversible, and has often been observed as victims of the procedure attain the age of 30-40, as Churchill observed. Some observers believe that having children often initiates the reversal.

33
posted on 07/14/2005 3:42:21 AM PDT
by AFPhys
((.Praying for President Bush, our troops, their families, and all my American neighbors..))

"The extreme left is once again attempting to define the modern Democratic Party by rabid partisan attacks, character assassination and endless negativity," said Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., chairman of the GOP congressional committee.

Geez, dude, SHUT UP. These kinds of statements help the Dems, by pointing out what they're doing wrong. What's that? They're too stupid to listen? OK, never mind.

The only thing I'm nervous about right now is that the Dems will drop the Rove thing before they get burned by another non-scandal that they foisted.

I still can't understand exactly what the Dems can even claim Rove did. He didn't "expose" Plame at all, from what I can see. He warned Cooper that Plame ("Wilson's wife") who worked at the CIA, set up Wilson's trip and that Wilson was lying about VP Cheney sending him. Where is the statement by Rove that exposes Plame? It's not exactly breaking news that people do work for the CIA... even us red state ignorant hicks know that. The fact that she works for the CIA doesn't automatically make her an undercover operative. CIA has bureaucrats too, and at the time it seems she fell into that category anyway. I just don't get it. How is it alleged that Rove exposed her?

Has anyone else seen the photo (maybe from Vanity Fair) of Wilson and Plame in the convertible? She's all dressed up with the scarf over her head and the big dark glasses; she looks like she's dressing up as Mata Hari for a costume party. What a pathetic display. To me, the bigger scandal is that someone like Wilson, who apparently is a liar with a seriously overblown sense of self-importance and possible delusions of grandeur, was in a position to have access to any secret information. I think the combination of liar and narcissist is a very dangerous combination for someone who has access to sensitive information.

Hmmm, sounds like the Pubs are getting "brave"? Of course!.......the outspokeness is against one of their own. If only they would fight the Demonrats with the same way. The only time we see this is when the MSM beads in on another Republican.......then the daggers come out. Shameful!

40
posted on 07/14/2005 4:52:38 AM PDT
by Dawgreg
(Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.)

The Republican National Committee, virtually a political arm of the White House, urged GOP lawmakers to go public.

LOL! Literally laughing in Fournier's face over this one.......when Clinton was in office, not only was the DNC "virtually a political arm of the White House", so was the CIA, FBI, IRS, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, MTV, AP, RF (Ron Fournier) etc, etc,.......

No wonder they're full of bitterness and rage and they hope Republicans will do their dirty work for them. Its raw partisan politics at its worst.

One of the really amazing things about this whole "story" is how the usual RINO suspects (McCain, Graham, Chaffee, etc.) have not come out to do the media's dirty work for them. And you know the media has just got to be begging them non-stop to say anything they can use to portray the White House as being even more on the run.

As it is, all they can scrounge up to show the latest "dissension within the GOP ranks" is some moonbat candidate for Lt. Governor of Arkansas.

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